The Walking Dead

webhead2006 wrote:I thought last night episode was pretty solid. It was good to see carl is well and getting better. Also the group wanting to stay on the faarm by rick pleasses to the owner I thought was a good dynamic and source of a bit of drama. The whole zombie in well scene was freaky and gross. As for lori and her pregrancy here we go with the drama that will bring between her/rick/shane. S for glenn I thought his sex scene with the doctor daughter was well acted and shot. I am a little pissed the girl sofia is still missing. I was really hoping that plot would have ended. All in all a fair episode all around.

You and I are just going to have to agree to disagree on that. The Sophia thing wore out its welcome long ago. Yeah, Daryl and Sophia's mom had a nice little moment but I don't care. I've never totally bought that this is a character-driven story. As much as anything, the suspense comes from the plot, who lives, who dies, who joins the group, who leaves, etc. This show seems to be focusing on character to the detriment of plot. It's really starting to become a sore point for me. Yeah, there's drama to be mined from some of these plots, particularly with in an ensemble piece. And that's fine but after a while I just want something to fucking happen already. The best parts of the show were the bits that broke new ground- Glenn and Maggie, the pregnancy test, that stuff. I didn't hate it but there was a time when this series was mandatory viewing. Had to catch the next episode. But I only finished this one about five or ten minutes ago. Look at the time stamp, do the math. I'd venture I'm possibly the biggest Walking Dead fan on this message board. Maybe the biggest. So I'd hope my growing disenchantment with the TV show says something.

But apart from all that, Shane didn't quite confess to Andrea but he certainly talked around what happened to Otis. Andrea's a sharp cookie. I think it'd be fair to speculate that she thinks there's more behind Shane's story than the official version he put out there.

Of course, Andrea herself is sort of a sticking point though. Dale talked her out of suicide. If she's really determined to kill herself, shit, it ain't hard to do in the world she lives in. This shit between her and Dale doesn't make sense. There is such a thing as drama and conflict but it has to be derived from a logical flow of events. Short of that, as in this case, all I'm left with is that Andrea is a bitch. And in the comic? Yeah, she's hard, tough as nails and takes no prisoners... but, in the main, I think she's a pretty fair and level-headed chick. She wouldn't pull the shit her TV counterpart does.

Again, THIS FREAKING TV SHOW SHOULD WRITE ITSELF! I can't believe how badly they're goofing up on basic, self-evident elements from the comics. I'm not pissed off enough to stop watching the show but I'm deeply unhappy with how things are going.

One other thing. Sophia, when she's found, needs an ass-kicking she's going to remember for the rest of her life.

Apologist Puncher wrote:One zombie the entire episode.

See the budget cuts now?

Yeppers.

You know, someone I was talking to last night brought up an interesting point about WHY might be dragging this Sophie BS out:

Spoiler:

IF that is what happens, then it will make me feel a little bit better about them doing what they did. If not, fuck that shit.

Apologist Puncher wrote:You know, someone I was talking to last night brought up an interesting point about WHY might be dragging this Sophie BS out:

Spoiler:

IF that is what happens, then it will make me feel a little bit better about them doing what they did. If not, fuck that shit.

That would work okay, esp considering how crazy things get in later issues of the comic, but that still doesn't make the subplot less annoying or dragged out.

thecolorsblend wrote:That would work okay, esp considering how crazy things get in later issues of the comic, but that still doesn't make the subplot less annoying or dragged out.

Hence me saying "little bit".....

I'm ranting here, just ignore me.

would be a interesting angle for them to go.

Well last night episode was pretty solid. The opening flashback to some time before rich shows up was nice to see some character interactions prior to rick's return to lori and carl. Again we are still searching for sophia. Really do want to see the sophia plot end soon. Last night would have been a nice place for her to be found. But i did like that darrell had visions of merel. I thought thought scenes worked out well. Also we finally got to see more then one zombie last night. Then on the lori thing its nice to see that glen knows she is pregrant and want her to tell rick and the others. Hopefully she does tell them soon. The ending with the zombies in the barn woah I cant wait to see what happens with them.

It almost feels like an unnecessary repeat by now but Judas jumped up Priest, they're SERIOUSLY dragging this Sophia shit out. Folks, if she's not found by the end of this next episode, we'll have spent about half the GD season on a subplot nobody in the viewing audience gives two fucks about.

Well tonight's episode was ok. First i am glad to see carl is doing much better and is on his feet. The whole deal with him being beddridden was dragging along with the sophia stuff. I am also happy we are getting some development with the barn zombies. Which some where figuring after last week we know the zombies are some of there family. As for glenn blabbing to dale more lori now having to talk about it. The gun training scene was also handled very well.

The maggie and glen zombie fight in the store was also pretty good with some nice zombie work there. The neirboor search for sophia/fight off with the zombies was again a very good dramatic scene and fight. I am glad to finally see alot more zombies, after last few episodes not see much at all. The sex scene with andrea and shane was nice, it was good to see something happen with them with how the characters have been last few episodes. Shane and dale scene towards the end was very dramatic and nicely acted out between the two of them.

I am glad rick finally found out about lori being pregrant. The scene between them also was good to see with how the characters are with each other. The drama with them are getting good with with how life now is and how lori doesnt/didnt want to bring another life here. Which is good for character development between them. I am also happy she reveal that she and shane hooked up, but nice to see that rick knows/knew something happened. Next episode looks good, but man the one thing i am still disapointed at is sophia still lost plotline, I really just want to see it end already.

This whole season is going to feel like the biggest rip-off ever if that stupid Sophia "MacGuffin" ISN'T resolved in the. Very. Next. Episode.

She had, what, TWO lines in the entire first season? Who would REALLY give two shits if she was dead or zombified?

Not I.

Apologist Puncher wrote:This whole season is going to feel like the biggest rip-off ever if that stupid Sophia "MacGuffin" ISN'T resolved in the. Very. Next. Episode.

She had, what, TWO lines in the entire first season? Who would REALLY give two shits if she was dead or zombified?

Not I.

What he said.

As for me...

The series continues it's trend of verbalizing conflicts and confrontations that the comics made physical. The bit about the zombies in the barn is a good example. Here, people talked about it. Non-stop. In the comic, it was revealed just about the time that a zombie uprising from the barn had to be put down. The conflict was verbalized well enough in the episode but, as with most plot developments, the comic took it from the verbal to the physical in very short order. Verbalization alone doesn't work as well, budget issues or no.

Andrea shooting Daryl... exactly what purpose did that serve? Granted, this show sets the standard (whether we like it or not) for slow burn storytelling (vis a vis Sophia) but Daryl got capped last episode, had, what, one scene this episode where he and Andrea apparently make up right away and then... that's it. I'm sorry guys but she showed poor gun-handling, poor judgment, the whole thing. You don't let someone off just like that.

The bit between Shane and Dale was GREAT though! Definitely the best of the whole episode. Frankly, the show's storytelling never suffers when it plays Shane as a villain and his bit with Dale only demonstrates that truism. Something else, this could be the first time we've ever seen Shane portrayed as an out-and-out villain. His darker moments up to this point have been either (A) unfulfilled (pointing the gun at Rick) or else (B) the product of a very desperate and fucked up situation where lives were hanging in the balance (lying about Rick's death, shooting Otis, the rest). There's always been a mitigation to his actions, however heinous. Except this time. This time, he was truly malevolent and threatening with no justification whatsoever. He can't hang this on anything or anyone else. He owns it.

And Jon Bernthal freaking OWNS it!

The revelation about Shane and Lori... it was a subplot for Rick's development ultimately. I like his willful ignorance in the comic but, at the rate this show is going, it'd probably be season 3 or 4 before we finally saw him make that choice of ignorance so maybe it's better this way.

In general, I'm really starting to think that it's best to regard the TV show as it's own thing because the inevitable comparison to the comic book has so far rarely been to the show's benefit.

Even so, best episode we've had in a long time.

EDIT- To go back to Shane for a sec, whatever I may think of the show's altered plot line, it certainly adds up that sooner or later, something would've happened between them in the comic. If Shane had survived in the comic book and made it as far as Hershel's farm, yeah, I could picture him and Andrea eventually starting something up. And I could also picture Dale having philosophical problems with that. Of all the deviations the show has made from the comic, this feels the most genuine, logical and organic. I never totally bought Shane risking his ass to save Carl's life. Doinking Andrea? No stretch of the imagination. None at all.

I must be a prophet:

Apologist Puncher wrote:This whole season is going to feel like the biggest rip-off ever if that stupid Sophia "MacGuffin" ISN'T resolved in the. Very. Next. Episode.

She had, what, TWO lines in the entire first season? Who would REALLY give two shits if she was dead or zombified?

Not I.

http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/TheWatchtower/news/?a=50184

Spoiler:

So they've kept Shane around even though he's dead in the comics by this point.

Sophia (as far as I remember still alive) is now a walker.

It makes sense to somebody, I'm sure, just not me.

The most I can come up with here is that the actress playing Sophia had to leave the show for some reason and rather than recast, they simply offed her.

Given how much this plot has been dragged out, there was never going to be a satisfactory resolution to it.

I called it too. She won the Darwin Award. Let this be a lesson, kids. Shut up and do what you're told.

I seen that same photo about a week or so ago at a few other boards. No one knows for sure if it real or not.

webhead2006 wrote:I seen that same photo about a week or so ago at a few other boards. No one knows for sure if it real or not.

Riiight.....

thecolorsblend wrote:So they've kept Shane around even though he's dead in the comics by this point.

Dead VERY early on.

Sophia (as far as I remember still alive) is now a walker.

I'll take your word for this one.

It makes sense to somebody, I'm sure, just not me.

Probably not to Frank Darabont either.

The most I can come up with here is that the actress playing Sophia had to leave the show for some reason and rather than recast, they simply offed her.

Given how much this plot has been dragged out, there was never going to be a satisfactory resolution to it.

I think it's more of a "shock value" type thing. How many TV shows these days would "zombify" a kid?

I called it too. She won the Darwin Award. Let this be a lesson, kids. Shut up and do what you're told.

Ah, but I called both the zombification AND the fact that it should be the very next episode.

Yay me?

Well tonight was the mid season finale for the walking dead. Which isnt returning to feb. Urrghh I hate having to wait a long while for returns. But hey at least it isnt a year later like it was between the seasons. I did like the drama today with shane and dale over the guns and where they should be. Along with the issues with shane and rick about safety and all that. Which also ties into rick and hersal's debate about the walkers as living or dead people. One thing i did like is maggie and glenn patched things up which was nice to see. But man I am so disapointed it did indeed end up being true that sophia was turned and was a walker. I really didnt want to see that happen and thought it was a change not needed. But it was a sad an touching scene. Felt so bad for the whole group and her mother. Overall some good acting tonight and script flowed decently. Hopefully the second half of the season picks up and we get into more stuff.

Sophia's character was so far from important that her zombification wasn't as big a deal to me as they might have wanted. I just didn't care.

But once again, SHANE steals the show. That guy is the only one this season to have real progression as a character. Daryl comes in a distant second, with Andrea and Dale bringing up the rear. Something BIG is going to have to happen to... with him in the second half of the season.

I just don't see how else it can go down.

Man if the lan was to off her all the tiime might have well offed carl too.

Except Carl is an actual character from the books.

Sophia was created for the show.

I thought sophia was a character from the books.

webhead2006 wrote:I thought sophia was a character from the books.

They only used the name:

http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Sophia_Peletier

Sophia Peletier is one of the few remaining survivors of the original Atlanta band, and is a young blonde girl who survived with her mother Carol, she is six years old.

Ah ok thanks for the info.

Season 3 episode order count:
http://m.superherohype.com/news/articles/169247-amc-announces-16-episode-order-for-the-walking-dead-season-3

AMC Announces 16 Episode Order for The Walking Dead Season 3 by SuperHeroHype January 15, 2012

Previous season orders were for 13 episodes

AMC announced from the Television Critics Association (TCA) Press Tour in Pasadena, CA that the third season of "The Walking Dead" will consist of 16 episodes. Previous season orders were for 13 episodes. AMC's international broadcast partner FOX International Channels (FIC) will follow the 16 episode order and structure a similar schedule worldwide. More from the press release...

Season two of the critically acclaimed global hit series continues to deliver the strongest telecasts for any drama in basic cable history against Adults 18-49, as well as, top international pay-TV ratings on Fox International Channels' (FIC) major markets. "The Walking Dead" is based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics. Glen Mazzara serves as series' showrunner and executive producer. Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert and Frank Darabont are executive producers with Greg Nicotero as co-executive producer.

"The Walking Dead" has received rave reviews from countless critics, both domestic and international, who heralded the series as "above all else, 'The Walking Dead' hasn't lost the most important ingredient in its strangely successful recipe: it's thrilling" (The Hollywood Reporter), "...with Dead's riveting cast of characters, the personal dynamics are almost as potent as the gory thrills" (Us Weekly), "'The Walking Dead' is a feast. Dig in." (The Guardian, UK), "It doesn't even take three minutes to realize that this series is setting standards" (Der Tagesspiegel, Germany).

"The Walking Dead" secured a 2010 Golden Globe(R) nomination for Best Television Series - Drama and won the 2011 Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup. The series tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home.

Is one of the ONLY reasons I watch 'The Walking Dead' going to be gone soon?:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118048982

TNT eyes Jon Bernthal for 'Noir' pilot
'Walking Dead' star may reunite with Darabont for period drama
By JEFF SNEIDER

Bernthal

"The Walking Dead" star Jon Bernthal is in early conversations with TNT to star in its period drama pilot "L.A. Noir," shepherded by Frank Darabont.
Sources close to the situation emphasized that discussions have barely begun and there's no certainty a deal will come together. But it would mark a reunion for Bernthal and Darabont, who developed and exec produced the first season of AMC's "Walking Dead" before parting ways with the show last year.

TNT declined comment.

In "L.A. Noir," Bernthal would play Joe Teague, the Los Angeles cop at the center of the show that examines corruption in the LAPD and ties between police and underworld figures in the 1940s and '50s. TNT greenlit the pilot earlier this month (Daily Variety, Jan. 10). Darabont wrote the script, based on the book by John Buntin, and will helm for TNT Original Prods. Michael De Luca and Elliott Webb exec produce with Darabont.

Bernthal has been riding the momentum from his breakout role on "Walking Dead," in which he co-stars as a small-town sheriff's deputy who becomes a leader of survivors of a zombie apocalypse. The second half of the show's highly successful sophomore season bows Feb. 12.

Bernthal also just wrapped Summit Entertainment's action-thriller "Snitch," opposite Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon.

He's repped by WME, Burstein Co. and attorney Kim Stenton at Myman Greenspan.

Cynthia Littleton contributed to this report.